Frenzy of bull sharks spotted in Brisbane River

If ever you needed proof the Brisbane River is not a place to go swimming, this is it. More than 50 bull sharks have been spotted from a riverside apartment, with one quick-thinking witness recording the incredible vision. SEE THE VIDEO

Craig Southam couldn’t believe his eyes when he spotted a school of more than 50 bull sharks in the Brisbane River. So he filmed it.

“And that’s just what I could see,” he said.

“The way they were moving, coming up and down, at any time there were about 50 on the surface, so there could have been 100 to 200 down there.

“My first reaction was that I’m not hopping into the Brisbane River for all the tea in China. It’s scary how many I saw.’’

The sales executive was having lunch on the balcony of his apartment on the 27th floor of River Place Apartments, Boundary St, when he noticed the sharks about 1pm on Tuesday.

Mr Southam, who has lived in the building for about a year, said he had only started to notice sharks in the river in the past few months, usually around the same time of day.

Brisbane River is home to hundreds of bull sharks. Picture: Craig Southam

“You’ve really got to be up high to see them, and it’s got to be a clear day with not much wind. I’ve seen people walking along the boardwalk completely unaware there’s a school of sharks in the water right next to them,’’ he said.

He posted the video to the building’s private Facebook group, where it gathered a lot of interest.

In January, Paulo Baleeiro posted footage of about 20 bull sharks slowly swimming not far from the popular Howard Smith Wharves precinct.

Research suggests the Brisbane River might be home to more than 3000 bull sharks, with local fisherman keen to snag their line on these apex predators.

While a shark attack fatality in the Brisbane River has not been recorded since the 1900s, in 2017 a group of young rowers had their scull bitten by a shark near the Kurilpa Bridge.